Characterization of bio-inspired hair flow sensors for oscillatory airflows: techniques to measure the response for both flow and pressure

Hair sensors for oscillatory airflow, operating in the regime of bulk flow, particle velocity or both, can be characterized by several methods. In this work, we discuss harmonic measurements on MEMS hair flow sensors. To characterize this type of flow sensor the use of three different types of oscillatory airflow source is investigated. A loudspeaker, a vibrating sphere and a standing wave tube all have specific characteristics regarding their acoustic field, frequency range, maximum velocity amplitude and the possibility to chose the ratio between pressure and flow velocity. They are compared and an overview is given with respect to which source is the most appropriate under specific conditions. Furthermore, by combining information from the flow setups used new insights into sensor operation can be gained.